BREASTFEEDING IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

By James Achanyi-Fontem
Coordinator, WABA Men's Initiative
E-mail:camlink99@gmail.com
More than 20 health and nutrition associations and non governmental organisations went into partnership with the Cameroon ministry of public health to transfer various messages in the communities within the theme of the World Breastfeeding Week 2009.
Cameroon Link, AFFE Nyong et So’o, Ahead, Alternative Sante, ASSF Douala, CAFOW Yaounde, CAMNAFAW, FEMEC, CIFAS, COGESID Mabanda, COGESID Bonamikano, Optimeo, Madi Madi Group, FESADE, Nka’ah Women of Bamenda, Nolfowop, Step Ministry, UFAPROD Mfou, Maleo Sante Plus, Fine Forest Foundation and CASAMAC were deployed by the ministry of public health in the different health districts of Cameroon during the week.
Four of the above organisations benefit from seedgrants from the ministry of public health two years ago and in 2008, 30 members of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, benefitted from capacity building infant and young child feeding counselling training in Obala. The turn out and deeds were justification for the declaration of Dr. Aissata Ba Sidibe, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Cameroon, who congratulated the Cameroon government for the efforts made so far.
Activities in Cameroon were centred on population and media information days in the regions, educative talks, project of films on breastfeeding promotion strategies, workshop on breastfeeding in emergencies, conferences, round tables and code monitoring of the marketing of breastmilk substitute violations in health facilities and super markets.
During a meeting on July 14, members of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, had proposed that manufacturers of primary and secondary school exercise books should place breastfeeding promotion slogans on their products as a means sending out the messages to all homes.
In 2008, it was the mobile telephone service provider, MTN, which sent out the WBW theme to over 2.000.000 telephone subscribers. To ameliorate capacities of the new comers to the Federation of nutrition association, FECABPA, assisted most of its affiliates on the field as a means of consolidating their implantation in the health areas and health districts of Cameroon.
Le Cercle des Amis pour le Soutien en Allaitement Maternel et Alimentation au Cameroun, CASAMAC, was registered as the newest affiliate from Ebolowa, south region of Cameroon and Mutuelle de Sante du District d’Obala in the Centre region. Maleo Sante Plus and Optimeo Youth Movement from Douala participated in the official launching of the world breastfeeding week in Cameroon for the first time.
At the centre of the action of CASAMAC like other organisations, is the fight for the reduction of infant mortality. This explains why apart from promoting the affective link between the mother and baby, these association are involved in counselling of parents, organisation of voluntary HIV testing, promotion of breastmilk banks and the prescription of the use of tea cups and not bottles amongst others.
It would be recalled that the Cameroon government encourages all initiatives that favour the promotion of the health of mothers and children. According to the statement issued by UNICEF this year, around 9 million children under five die every year, largely from preventable causes. And Lancet says, optimal breastfeeding in the first two years of life, especially exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, can have the single largest impact on child survival of all preventive interventions, with the potential to prevent 12 to 15% of all under age 5 deaths in the developing world.
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week provided an opportunity to sensitize policy-makers, donors, implementing partners and the general public to the benefits of breastfeeding, to its particular importance in emergency situations and to the need to protect and support mothers to breastfeeding during emergencies.
Two friends of Cameroon Link, Tobias Zick from Germany and Per-Anders Pettersson from Sweden support the action plan of the World Breastfeeding Week in Cameroon which included using the opportunity to call upon companies and their leaders to end all kinds of promotion of baby foods by 2015.
In the press release by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, WABA, it had been echoed that emergencies can happen anywhere in the world, and that infants and young children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, illness and death in these situations. No matter the type of emergency situation, the story is the same: Breastfeeding is a lifeline and a shield that protects infants in emergencies.
For more information on the World Breastfeeding Week, click on the following link or copy and paste on your browser - http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/worldwide.htm

Code Monitoring Campaign During WBW 2009

European Volunteers Support Cameroon Link Code Monitoring Campaign During WBW 2009 In Douala
Tobias Zick of the German Neon Magazine in Munchen and Per-Anders Pettersson, Swedish Freelance Photographer based in South Africa joined the Cameroon Link team in Douala to assist in the execution of the world breastfeeding week action plan 2009.
The volunteers visited the Bamenda, North West highlands to witness how illegal milk market competition by companies was affecting breeders in Cameroon, who are facing problems with the distribution of their fresh cow milk collected in the region.
Both Tobias and Per-Anders accompanied Cameroon Link in its journey from health area to health area in Bonendale, Bonamikano, Ngwele and Grand Hangar in the Douala city neighbour, before swiftly witnessing the company violations at the Bonassama District Hospital in Bonaberi and CEBEC Protestant Hospital in Sodiko-Douala.
As Cameroon Link and partner network associations like COGESID Mambanda, COGESID Bonamikano and ASSF Ngwele echoed messages relevant to the theme of the world breastfeeding week 2009 during educative talks within their communities and calling on the population to join in campaign for protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding during emergencies, Tobias Zick from Germany and Per-Anders Pettersson of Swedish origin conducted interviews on the strategies put in place by the company violators of the international and national Code.
In Bamenda, they had collected information on the consequences of European milk powder dumping. Tobias was interested particularly about the extent to which imported milk powders distort market chances for farmers in Cameroon, while documenting recent examples of baby food marketing malpractices, especially breastmilk substitute distribution in hospitals and other health facilities.
On the August 6, the date of the arrival of the European volunteers. The president of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, James Achanyi-Fontem, had called on the government to strengthen Cameroon’s national code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes by including sanctions as part of the already well formulated articles during the launching mass event in Obala.
Achanyi-Fontem told the story of the birth of federation on the 14th September 2007 and its vision which is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding action with health facilities and communities of Cameroon. He added that FECABPA was out to advocate for human rights, maternal and child care with the aim of promoting the well being of the mothers and children.
The President of FECABPA thanked the minister of public health for sponsoring the training of 30 breastfeeding counsellors in November 2008 and that the NGOs were already well armed for the acceleration of partnership with the government in the area of infant and young child feeding.
The FECABPA president said, though much had been achieved, there is still much to be done for Cameroon to qualify for certification of at least one Baby Friendly Hospital or a Baby Friendly Community. More educative materials are needed for the expansion of community social mobilisation for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.
He used the opportunity of the WBW 2009 launching in Obala to publicly present the Gold Medal won by Cameroon following the 2008 WABA WBW marathon events competition, while inviting the ministry of public health and UNICEF to support the participation of the Cameroon delegation at the forth coming WABA Global Forum 3 scheduled in Quebec, Canada from the 14th -17th June 2010. The theme of the WABA Global Forum 3 is “Innocenti & Beyond: Breastfeeding in a Family-Friendly World”.
FECABPA also recommended that the government should urgently put in place a National Code Monitoring Committee, that would suggest punitive measures including business closure, suspension of license or financial penalty for damages caused due to illegal market competition by any company violators of the existing national code. With this, FECABPA suggests that sanctions be included as part of the existing Cameroon National Code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes to strengthen its well formulated articles and encourage effective monitoring strategies that would enforce its application at all levels in the country.
For more information on the world breastfeeding week, click on the following link or copy and paste – http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/worldwide.htm or http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com

2009 World Breastfeeding Week In cameroon

Mot du Président de la Fédération des Associations de Soutien à l’Allaitement Maternel au Cameroun, Monsieur James Achanyi-Fontem, à l’occasion du lancement de la SMAM au Cameroun.
Obala, le 6 août 2009Monsieur le Ministre de la Santé Publique,
Honorables invités
Mesdames, Messieurs,

C’est un honneur pour moi de prendre la parole ici à Obala au nom de la Fédération des Associations de Soutien à l’Allaitement Maternel au Cameroun, en ce jour mémorable à l’occasion de la cérémonie officielle marquant la célébration de la dix huitième Edition de la Semaine Mondiale de l’Allaitement Maternel.
Ce jour nous offre une grande opportunité de mobilisation des populations pour les activités de protection, promotion et soutien de l’Allaitement Maternel.
Excellence, Monsieur le Ministre, notre Fédération a été fondée le 14 septembre 2007 dans le but de soutenir le Ministère de la Santé Publique dans ses missions de promotion, de protection et soutien de l’allaitement maternel auprès des formations sanitaires et des communautés. La vision de FECABPA est de permettre à tous les enfants et leurs mères d’être en bonne santé et de protéger leurs droits.
Monsieur le Ministre de la Santé Publique, il y a deux ans, quatre de nos Associations avaient bénéficié de l’appui de votre Département Ministériel à titre de soutien en matériel. L’année dernière, vous avez permis à 30 de nos membres, de bénéficier d’un renforcement de capacités ici même à OBALA en matière de stratégie de mobilisation, information et éducation des populations. Cette formation nous permet actuellement d’être plus opérationnels et convaincants sur le terrain.
Je voudrais profiter de cette circonstance solennelle, pour vous exprimer notre profonde gratitude pour toutes ces marques d’encouragement à notre endroit.
Permettez moi, Excellence, Monsieur le Ministre, d’exprimer un certain nombre de doléances, qui pourraient rendre notre action beaucoup plus efficace et nous permettre d’atteindre un nombre plus important de personnes dans les communautés du Cameroun.
Il s’agit notamment de :
la mise à notre disposition de matériel éducatif et de mobilisation sociale ;
l’organisation au profit de nos membres,  d’autres sessions de formation en allaitement maternel et sur les stratégies de monitoring du code national de commercialisation des substituts du lait maternel signé par le Premier Ministre le 1 er Décembre 2005.
Les formations sur les stratégies de Monitoring du Code National vont accentuer la protection, la promotion et le soutien de l’allaitement maternel; et en même temps amener le Cameroun à se qualifier pour la certification d’un Hôpital Ami des Bébés ou l’initiative d’un Communauté Ami des Bébés par l’OMS/UNICEF. Je suis sûre que le monitoring va aussi augmenter le pourcentage des taux d’allaitement maternel exclusive de 24 % à 35% avant la fin de 2010.
L’encadrement permanent sur le terrain par des équipes de votre département ministériel à titre de supervision ;
La relance de l’appui financier et logistique engagée il y a deux ans ;
His Excellence, after the evaluation of activities of the World Breastfeeding Week in September 2008 by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, WABA, Cameroon Link Health Development NGO thrillingly won the Gold Medal of the Marathon events competition. Some 198 NGOs in 120 countries went in for the competition and Cameroon won the Gold Medal, which I am happy to present to you here officially in Obala.
With this, His Excellency, we plead that the ministry of public health, which you head and UNICEF Cameroon should support the participation of some active Infant and Young Child Feeding organisations in Cameroon to attend and participate in the WABA Global Forum 3 scheduled in Quebec, Canada in June 2010.
His Excellency, the Minister of Public health, FECABPA finally recommends that the government should urgently put in place a National Code Monitoring Committee, that would suggest punitive measures including business closure, suspension of license or financial penalty for damages caused due to illegal market competition by any company violators of the existing national code. FECABPA suggests that sanctions be included as part of the existing Cameroon National Code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes to strengthen its well formulated articles and encourage effective monitoring strategies that would enforce its application at all levels.
These are the few issues that we happily use this opportunity to call the attention of the government to, during this year’s World Breastfeeding Week 2009.
Excellence, nous vous assurons notre étroite collaboration dans le but d’atteindre ensemble les Objectifs du Millénaire du Développement en ce qui concerne la survie de l’enfant et la santé des mères.
Nous remercions, OMS, UNICEF, WABA, IBFAN, Helen Kelly International, Plan International et tous les autres qui continuent de nous aider dans la promotion de la nutrition infantile au Cameroun.
Je vous remercie pour votre aimable attention.

World Breastfeeding week In cameroon

World Breastfeeding week In cameroon

Mot du Président de la Fédération des Associations de Soutien à l’Allaitement Maternel au Cameroun, Monsieur James Achanyi-Fontem, à l’occasion du lancement de la SMAM au Cameroun.
Obala, le 6 août 2009
Monsieur le Ministre de la Santé Publique,
Honorables invités
Mesdames, Messieurs,
C’est un honneur pour moi de prendre la parole ici à Obala au nom de la Fédération des Associations de Soutien à l’Allaitement Maternel au Cameroun, en ce jour mémorable à l’occasion de la cérémonie officielle marquant la célébration de la dix huitième Edition de la Semaine Mondiale de l’Allaitement Maternel.
Ce jour nous offre une grande opportunité de mobilisation des populations pour les activités de protection, promotion et soutien de l’Allaitement Maternel.
Excellence, Monsieur le Ministre, notre Fédération a été fondée le 14 septembre 2007 dans le but de soutenir le Ministère de la Santé Publique dans ses missions de promotion, de protection et soutien de l’allaitement maternel auprès des formations sanitaires et des communautés. La vision de FECABPA est de permettre à tous les enfants et leurs mères d’être en bonne santé et de protéger leurs droits.
Monsieur le Ministre de la Santé Publique, il y a deux ans, quatre de nos Associations avaient bénéficié de l’appui de votre Département Ministériel à titre de soutien en matériel. L’année dernière, vous avez permis à 30 de nos membres, de bénéficier d’un renforcement de capacités ici même à OBALA en matière de stratégie de mobilisation, information et éducation des populations. Cette formation nous permet actuellement d’être plus opérationnels et convaincants sur le terrain.
Je voudrais profiter de cette circonstance solennelle, pour vous exprimer notre profonde gratitude pour toutes ces marques d’encouragement à notre endroit.
Permettez moi, Excellence, Monsieur le Ministre, d’exprimer un certain nombre de doléances, qui pourraient rendre notre action beaucoup plus efficace et nous permettre d’atteindre un nombre plus important de personnes dans les communautés du Cameroun.
Il s’agit notamment de :
la mise à notre disposition de matériel éducatif et de mobilisation sociale ;
l’organisation au profit de nos membres, d’autres sessions de formation en allaitement maternel et sur les stratégies de monitoring du code national de commercialisation des substituts du lait maternel signé par le Premier Ministre le 1 er Décembre 2005.
Les formations sur les stratégies de Monitoring du Code National vont accentuer la protection, la promotion et le soutien de l’allaitement maternel; et en même temps amener le Cameroun à se qualifier pour la certification d’un Hôpital Ami des Bébés ou l’initiative d’un Communauté Ami des Bébés par l’OMS/UNICEF. Je suis sûre que le monitoring va aussi augmenter le pourcentage des taux d’allaitement maternel exclusive de 24 % à 35% avant la fin de 2010.
L’encadrement permanent sur le terrain par des équipes de votre département ministériel à titre de supervision ;
La relance de l’appui financier et logistique engagée il y a deux ans ;
His Excellence, after the evaluation of activities of the World Breastfeeding Week in September 2008 by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, WABA, Cameroon Link Health Development NGO thrillingly won the Gold Medal of the Marathon events competition. Some 198 NGOs in 120 countries went in for the competition and Cameroon won the Gold Medal, which I am happy to present to you here officially in Obala.
With this, His Excellency, we plead that the ministry of public health, which you head and UNICEF Cameroon should support the participation of some active Infant and Young Child Feeding organisations in Cameroon to attend and participate in the WABA Global Forum 3 scheduled in Quebec, Canada in June 2010.
His Excellency, the Minister of Public health, FECABPA finally recommends that the government should urgently put in place a National Code Monitoring Committee, that would suggest punitive measures including business closure, suspension of license or financial penalty for damages caused due to illegal market competition by any company violators of the existing national code. FECABPA suggests that sanctions be included as part of the existing Cameroon National Code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes to strengthen its well formulated articles and encourage effective monitoring strategies that would enforce its application at all levels.
These are the few issues that we happily use this opportunity to call the attention of the government to, during this year’s World Breastfeeding Week 2009.
Excellence, nous vous assurons notre étroite collaboration dans le but d’atteindre ensemble les Objectifs du Millénaire du Développement en ce qui concerne la survie de l’enfant et la santé des mères.
Nous remercions, OMS, UNICEF, WABA, IBFAN, Helen Kelly International, Plan International et tous les autres qui continuent de nous aider dans la promotion de la nutrition infantile au Cameroun.
Je vous remercie pour votre aimable attention.
For more, click on the following link or copy and paste in your browser - http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/worldwide.htm

Older People Caring for HIV Orphans

Older People Caring for HIV Orphans & Vulnerable Children
By James Achanyi-Fontem,
President, FECABPA
As the HIV/AIDS epidemic strikes at the heart of families and community support structures, large numbers of older people are assuming responsibility for bringing up orphans and vulnerable children. Family structures are changing. Often the middle generations – both men and women – are completely absent, leaving the old and young to support each other. This means that families of older careers and orphans and vulnerable children are compelled to take on new roles.
Current global figures estimate that 16 million children under 15 have already lost either one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. Older people make up a significant proportion of the poorest and HIV/AIDS exacerbates the extreme poverty faced by older-headed households. This compromises the ability of older carers to care adequately for children as they face difficulties obtaining sufficient food, clothes and shelter, and limits their access to health care and education services. The financial burden of caring for children means older carers are often forced to sell their assets or borrow money.
The scarcity of HIV/AIDS information for older people limits their ability to protect themselves and their families. Though older people should be playing a key role in HIV/AIDS prevention within their communities and families, their role as counsellors and educators has not been sufficiently recognised in community-based and national HIV/AIDS prevention programmes.
The trauma resulting from stigma of being affected by HIV/AIDS results to high levels of exclusion, for older people and for orphans and vulnerable children, leaving them ashamed and alone. Some of them feel they are failing in their role as carers because they are unable to protect their family from social isolation.
A solution to this situation is the forging of mutual relationships, even when economic crisis undermine these relationships, because the advantages of keeping children with their remaining family members whenever it is possible are evident. If appropriate support is available, older people and orphans and vulnerable children can overcome some of the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Safety Net
Social protection in the form of a low level of income guarantee, would go a long way to offset the additional financial burdens experienced by older people as carers of orphans and vulnerable children.
Access to education
Orphans and vulnerable children experience great difficulty accessing education services. The lack of free primary education and the lack of means to pay for school fees remain serious problems. Flexible education services needed to be created to ensure that all children, including orphans and vulnerable children have access to education.
Targeting HIV/AIDS Information
Older people’s roles as leaders and educators must be harnessed to support HIV/AIDS education and prevention efforts. Seeing the impact of HIV/AIDS on their communities, many older people are keen to receive information and education about it in order to protect their families and themselves.
Psychosocial trauma
A major problem for those affected by HIV/AIDS is the stigma and discrimination they face. HIV/AIDS has often been considered a form of punishment for wrongdoing, and is associated with promiscuity and witchcraft.
This often results in acute levels of exclusion for older people and orphans living with, or related to, people living with HIV/AIDS. Social ties and traditional support mechanisms weaken when ignorance and stigma marginalise a family affected by HIV/AIDS, leaving them feeling ashamed and alone. And many older people feel they are failing in their role as a carer because they are unable to protect their family from this kind of isolation.
Building awareness
Open community discussions led by local leaders, as well as awareness-raising campaigns can go a long way to improve understanding of the causes and impacts of HIV/AIDS. Some community initiatives are developing innovative ways to express openly the issues related to HIV/AIDS. They aim to integrate affected children and older people through community events such as story telling, drama and children’s drawings.

Men Share Tasks With Women

Changing Traditional Responsibilities of Men and Women
By James Achanyi-Fontem
President, FECABPA
A man being busy in the farm without the partner does not mean she is lazy and is not doing her work. While the man continues the work in the farm, the woman could be marketing harvested crops. Generally during harvest, food accumulates in bags at homes and some have to be sold to create space, especially when maize and bean crops have the same harvest cycle. Some crop is stored for use by the family and the extra yield is taken to the market by the woman to sell in town, where the prices are slightly higher than in the village.
By sharing responsibilities does not necessarily mean giving women much attention, as some people may think. This can be explained by the fact that a good woman will usually use the money she brings home from the market to pay school fees or to take the children to the health centre or hospital when they are ill. She also buys things needed on the farm and sometimes she even gives her mother-in-law some extra money to buy sugar for her husband’s tea.
Generally when a woman thinks of the family first, she does not need to be told how she uses the money she earns through her sweat. Women are forgetting the old ways already. Very often nowadays, women join women's groups, run their own businesses and take money to the bank.
The traditions are changing, not only for women, but for men too. The men who are family heads used to have many cattle which they took care of each day. They would wake up very early each morning and return later in the day. At night they would protect the household from thieves and wild animals.
The lives of men today are different from those of their fathers'. Young persons don't even live in the village any longer; instead they go far away to work in the cities. There is rural exodus, and they do not return home to visit or send money to their parents as in the past. Some leave their wives and children remain in the village without protection. This is all the more reason for women to work hard on the farm.
In Cameroon, women are working hard on the farms and taking care of the children and old people. Apart from the fields and the animals cared for, they go to market where they work and earn money from selling their extra crops. When the women return home from the market, they must gather firewood and water, wash clothes, and prepare the evening meal. This is too much work for any woman.
Some men, on the other hand in the Central Africa Region, just stay at home doing nothing and waiting for the woman, on the pretext that she has not told him that she needs help on the farm. This is behaviour needs to be changed and we need to encourage sharing of responsibilities between the men and the women. For more contact: James Achanyi-Fontem, P.O. Box 1460 Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon Tel: 00237 77758840 Email:camlink2001@yahoo.com Return to http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com
For information on the World Breastfeeding Week, click on the following link - http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.net/wbw2008/cameroon.htm

Cameroon Link Profile

About Cameroon Link
Cameroon Link is a registered charity not-for-profit organisation involved in volunteers’ socio-cultural promotion of community health development through women’s empowerment, human assistance advocacy, information, education and communication on human rights of the woman and the child. It is also involved in nutrition promotion, especially in the area of Infant and Young Child Feeding. It was created on the 9th September 1991 and the head office is implanted in Grand Hangar-Bonabéri (Nouvelle Route) in the Douala City neighbourhood.
It was founded by a professional dialogue group of communication specialists, journalists, health and social welfare workers, due to the crucial lack of adequate and good circulation of information on community health development issues, social welfare, infant and young child nutrition and food-self sufficiency in Cameroon. Cameroon Link coordinates the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Association (FECABPA) and Cameroon Association of Newspaper Journalists, (CANJ). It was officially incorporated through its registration on the 23rd November 1992, within the frame work of the law N° 053/90 of 19th December 1990 on the creation of association.
Cameroon Link NGO holds the official registered reference n°251/RDDA/C.19/BAPP attributed by the SDO for Wouri Division, Richard MOTA, Senior Civil Administrator of Exceptional Class. Cameroon Link acquired from the Ministry of Women's Affairs a protocol letter of collaboration registered under the reference n°. 00199 signed on the 19th June 1997 by the Minister of Women's Affairs, Mrs. YAOU Aïssatou.
Another protocol letter of collaboration with the Ministry of the Public Health referenced N°. E32/L/MSP/BG/DSC/B.SIDA of 16th February 1998 was signed by the Secretary of State, HAYATOU Alim. The Registration Certificate as an NGO, N°: 98/RC/GPLI/SG/DAJ of 8th February 1995 was obtained from the Littoral Governor’s Office in Douala.
Strategic Framework
The vision of Cameroon Link is of a nation in which people do not die of treatable diseases and lack of adequate nutrition. This means a nation where communities have brought self-food sufficiency deficiencies, maternal and infant malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS under control through preventing, accessing and providing care and support, and alleviating the impact of any epidemic. Cameroon Link’s vision goes together with values. For this reason its activities build on human rights, public health and socio-economic development approaches. The work of Cameroon Link is underpinned by a set of shared values, which make its team to believe that:
• The lives of all human beings are of equal value. Unequal power relations increase people's vulnerability to common diseases. These arise, in particular, from poverty and the abuse of people's human rights. Gender, religion, class, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation are all sources of vulnerability and unequal power in our societies.
• Everyone has the right to access the information and services they need. People should have access to accurate and complete information about HIV prevention, comprehensive prevention programmes, and initiatives that promote the self-determination, dignity and quality of life for people living with common infections, and for groups who are likely to affect, or be affected by the spread of HIV/AIDS. People have the right to access AIDS care and treatment and appropriate health and social services, including treatment and palliative care for those with AIDS. Sickle Cell Disorder which is common in Africa has not got the full attention of decision makers for the problem to be considered a public health issue.
The work of Cameroon Link is guided by the belief in the importance of meaningfully involving all vulnerable people, particularly those living with HIV and AIDS, sickle cell disorders and malnutrition in all aspects of the response to the health issues, ensuring that communities play a central role in the response to these issues, challenging dogma and discrimination.
By getting into partnership with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN Africa), Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, other national and international organisations, Cameroon Link aimed at making sure that its initiatives are driven by evidence of “what works” for Cameroon like in other African countries and the rest of the world.
Cameroon Link takes a gender approach to health issues as a means of acknowledging the role of both women and men in meeting the challenges that surround us. Reducing the vulnerability of children and young people in Cameroon and other parts of the world, and involving them in planning, implementing and evaluating sex education, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and sickle cell disorder prevention with care programmes, as well as being accountable to the people we work to support and to those who support our work is capital for our success in the years ahead.
In trying to fulfil this mission, It strongly believes that we are also contributing towards achieving the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, Infant and Young Child Feeding, the prevention of Sickle Cell Disorders of the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions and to the Millennium Development Goals.
Cameroon Link remains a national initiative of people, organisations and communities working towards a shared vision by supporting effective community responses to Infant and Young Child Feeding, Sickle Cell Disorder, HIV and AIDS. It operates through forged partnerships, shared knowledge, accessing financial resources where possible, and offering technical assistance through capacity building to women and youths’ groups. Cameroon joined the WABA Men’s Initiative race of challenges with its leader coordinating global initiatives and activities in May 2008..
By the organisational structure of Cameroon Link and the involvement of the media for communication purposes, it is recognised to have great social mobilisation capacities for penetration of the grassroots populations. Cameroon Link uses the approaches of community mobilisation that take into account the roles of all stakeholders. All activities of Cameroon Link are designed with and executed with representatives of the beneficiary communities. The NGO offers its technical know-how and services to other groups and organisations through information exchange, capacity building training and consultations. It operates a counselling, documentation and training centre in at the head office in Grand Hangar – Bonabéri, in the neighbourhood of Douala City, considered the economical capital of Cameroon with a very thick population estimated already at over two million inhabitants.
Beneficiary Target Groups: Women, Fathers, Youths & Media
Activities
• Collection and publication of health development information
• Promotion of community health activities through IEC, Training and Advocacy
• Animation of Training at Documentation Centre in Bonabéri-Douala
• Organisation of advocacy conferences, and open-door activities on protection of street children, Women’s Reproductive Health, Infant and Young Child Feeding, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS prevention
• Training of community health workers on social change through behaviour change communication strategies.
• Mobilisation of funds and material resources for the prevention of HIV, assistance to infected persons and rehabilitation of AIDS Orphans and street children in emergency.
• Collaboration with volunteers on community development participative research strategies.
• Organisation of home visits and assistance of integrated vulnerable street children.
• Promotion of Exclusive Breastfeeding of babies for the first six months
• Promotion of nutrition and dietary activities within the food-self sufficiency programme
• Participation in Infant and Young Child Feeding emergency support
• Advocacy for the promotion of the International Code on the marketing of breast milk substitutes.
• Training of volunteer - community health workers on the organisation of social mobilisation, peer education, home visits and cares.
• Promotion of Psycho-social support and assistance
• Acquisition of means of communication and transport for volunteer health workers
• Production and multiplication of education materials for out reach activities.
Contact Person:
James Achanyi-Fontem
National Coordinator,
Cameroon Link
P.O. Box 1460 Douala,
Littoral Region,
Cameroon
Tel: (237) 77 75 88 40
Fax:(237) 33 39 13 56
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
Web site: http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com
Youtube: http://uk.youtube.com/camlink99
For information on the World Breastfeeding Week, please click on the following link -http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.net/wbw2008/cameroon.htm

FECABPA Annual General Meeting 2009

2nd FECABPA AGM Holds In Douala
By Alice Ndeloh, COGESID Bonaberi
Health organisations (NGO, CBO and FBO) affiliated to the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, met in Douala on March 24, 2009 to evaluate activities of the national breastfeeding movement and to deliberate on a new action plan during its second annual general meeting. FECABPA was registered by the Cameroon government on the 10th December 2007 under the reference no. 00135/RDA/JO6/BAPP as a plat form for exchanges and negotiations between associations on the one hand, and between FECABPA and other partners.
During the 2nd annual general meeting, members deliberated on the WABA joint statement based on the workshop and Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting, GBPM, VII in Penang, Malaysia in October 2008. Participants endorsed WABA’s joint statement, with the initiation of its action plan for 2009/2010 within the context of the resolutions and recommendations of the GBPM VII 2008.
Delegates at the FECABPA AGM from AFFE, ASSF, COGESID, OPTIMEO, MALEO Santé +, NOLFOWOP, Alternative Santé, MUTSAN, FFF-C and Cameroon Link received highlights on the Men’s initiative and activity sheet, the current One Million Campaign launched by IBFAN Asia, WABA Global Forum 3 preparation in Quebec, Canada in 2010. A call for active preparation and participation when the time comes was made by the coordinator of WABA MWG.
Participants received WABA WBW notebooks carrying the beautiful photos of the entries for the world breastfeeding week competition 2008 under the theme “Mother Support: Going for the Gold”. It was made known that WABA received a total of 198 entries and many of them depicted various forms of support to the breastfeeding mother.
According to the editor’s note by the International Coordinator of WBW, Julianna Lim Abdullah, all were beautiful meaningful and touching pictures and the panel of judges had a difficult time selecting the ten winning photos. It is for this reason that WABA increased the prize money and twelve winning photos were selected.
The winning photos featured in the WABA WBW materials including action folders, poster and banner. To show case the photos in a notebook aimed at highlighting efforts by breastfeeding activists around the world and to encourage more to join in the protection, promotion and support movement. Those who received the notebooks in Cameroon expressed their thanks and gratitude to WABA to the continuous support their country activities.
During the plenary exchanges, emphasis was put on the promotion of mother support groups and how to consolidate achievements. An exhaustive report on the breastfeeding counseling training conducted by the ministry of public health to capacity leaders of infant and young child feeding associations in Cameroon. Mrs. Lissouck Marie Germaine of NOLFOWOP acknowledged that the sessions were interactive, diverse and rich in information learning content.

WBW 2009 Theme

Members of FECABPA were informed about the publication by WABA of the theme for the World Breastfeeding week 2009. The theme is “Breastfeeding – A Vital Emergency Response. Are You Ready?” The theme is explained in detail on the WABA WBW calendar 2009 distributed during the annual general assembly. Some members had already downloaded the calendar in English on the WABA web site.
Participants at the session made suggestions on doable actions within the period of preparation of the WBW while waiting for the coordination meetings held each year to harmonise action plans at the level of the ministry of public health.
Before the close of the annual general meeting, a financial report was presented and members invited to up date their contributions to assist the general secretariat function properly. Four new associations, notably AFFE of Mbalmayo, Maleo Santé + of Douala, Musan Bonassama, and Optimeo of Douala were co-opted into the federation. It was agreed that the next general meeting of FECABPA scheduled in June 2009 will be hosted by NOLFOWP Yaoundé. As the FECABPA annual general meeting ended, a sweet mother rushed into the maternity ward next door COGESID Health Centre in Ngwele-Bonaberi to deliver a baby girl. Mother and baby are reported doing well. Breastfeeding promotion activists are invited to open the FECABPA information blog site regularly for up dates the development of activities at the national and international levels. For information on the World Breastfeeding Week, click on the following link, http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.net/wbw2008/cameroon.htm
For more on Cameroon Link, click on the following link at http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com and check on all profiles.

2009 Littoral Special Health Fund Budget Adopted

Littoral Special Health Fund Adopts Annual Budget At CFA 1.49 Billion
By James Achanyi-Fontem
The 12th ordinary general assembly of the Littoral special fund for health promotion held in Douala on the 29th January 2009 and adopted its annual budget, which stands at CFA 1.490.047.000.
The meeting gave the opportunity to the 58 delegates from the 19 health districts of littoral region to evaluate their activities and exchange experiences, during the preparation of 2009 activities.
Manoka sub division will be seating on the board of directors from this year, following the carving out of a new health district from the former Bonassama Health District jurisdiction, to give the island its autonomy.
Addressing the assembly, the representative of the German Technical Cooperation, GTZ, Dr. Eone, said partnership with the special fund had reached a stage of maturity and that German cooperation assistance will this year be directed to mother and child health protection to start the new funding cycle.
He added that GTZ will continue to assist the Cameroon government in its efforts to ameliorate the health and well being of its population, especially as the constitution of the special fund has been reviewed to conform to the administrative decentralisation process underway throughout the country. 30 million euros (CFA 20.000.000) has been put aside by the German government to support health activities in Cameroon.
Dr. Joseph Marie Bikoti presented the report of the 11th session of the special fund to up date new leaders of the elected community health dialogues structures in the littoral region.
The report showed that Loum, Mbanga and Edea have got functional social health insurance systems that now make care easily accessible to the populations. It was also announced that HIV prevalence in the prisons remains very high and that 60% of the population had difficulties in paying for health care services within the communities.
In continuation of the decentralisation of drugs distribution, 19 pro-pharmacists were trained in 2008 and anti-retroviral therapies were distributed free through 2007, and shortages were signalled in some parts of the region in 2008.
Shortage of staff was also reported in most public health facilities in the littoral region, the regional delegate for public health, Dr. Bita Andre Fouda presented a balance sheet of his areas of jurisdiction. He mentioned that the health map of the region and human resources management had been activated, especially as the population of littoral region stands at 2.396.361 inhabitants.
Dr. Bita told the members of the board of directors of the special fund that Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon is densely populated and complex with its diverse cultural entities spread in the 19 health districts.
The littoral region has 163 health areas with 400 health facilities of all categories. The ratio of health care is one medical doctor to 20.000 inhabitants, one nurse to 3.000 inhabitants
HIV voluntary testing is rated at 97.17 % and 53.53 % of pregnant women are seropositive. He acknowledged that anti-retroviral drugs are free, but curiously there are shortages in anti-retroviral drugs for very long periods and insufficiency of funds to execute certain activities.
Health workers capacity building is regularly reinforced for better HIV/AIDS care with only 2% of babies tested for HIV, while the coverage of immunisation stands at 85%.
Another handicap of proper health care delivery is the existence of several illegal health facilities within the communities, though the government has made several attempts to close them down with the support of administrative and law enforcement authorities.
The regional delegate announced that in 2009, more PMTCT centres will be created to facilitate access to health care by mothers. It would be recalled that the initiative of creating a special fund for health promotion started in Bamenda, North West region in 1986 as a pilot project before it was extended to Buea in the South West region in 1989 and in Douala, the littoral region in 1991.
Its principal role has been to make essential drugs readily available and accessible at all time at reasonable cost through government subventions. The fund groups health dialogue structure professionals and representatives of the communities, who are invited to annual meetings to decided on the priorities in each health area and district for the amelioration of the health care service delivery to the populations.
The members are now reflecting on new funding channels, especially in the area of creating income generation activities to sustain the fund’s activities which are regularly increasing due to the arrival of new diseases.
It was observed that most mothers now prefer to birth their babies at home due to the incapacity to support the hospitalisation bills. The minister’s representative at the annual general meeting invited board members to be very vigilant during the distribution of subvention drugs by the government, so that the street hawkers are not connected to the distribution chain to increase prices.
The regional delegate for public health reminded the audience that the position of chairperson of District Hospital is by government regulation attributed to the local council mayor. In the case of absence, the mayor is expected to delegate one of his or her assistance to replace the mayor during deliberations.

Constitution of FECABPA

FEDERATION OF CAMEROON BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION ASSOCIATIONS
FECABPA
Office of the President
P.O. Box 1460 Douala, Cameroon Tel: (237).77 75.88.40 - (237) 94 34 08 74
Fax: (237) 33 39 13 56 E-mail : fcbptaskforce@yahoo.fr
General Secretariat
Tel: (237) 77 61 14 28 – (237) 94 34 08 74
STATUTE
Mindful of the constitution;
Mindful of the law 90/053 of 19 December 1990 on liberty of associations;
Mindful of the law 96/003 of 04 January 1996 on the law of the framework of the health sector;
Mindful of the law N° 99-14 of 22 December 1999 governing non governmental organizations;
Mindful of the law N°2004/017 of 22 July 2004 fixing the framework of orientation on decentralization;
Mindful of the decree N° 92/252/PM of 06 July 1992 fixing conditions and modes of opening of certain health facilities;
Mindful of the decree N° 2005/5168/PM of 01 December 2005 regulating the marketing of breastmilk substitutes in conformity with the international code;
Mindful of the Health Sectored Strategy Document;
Mindful of the Document on the Health Partnership Strategy in Cameroon;
Mindful of the decision N° 0177/D/MSP/CAB of 12 March 2001 fixing the framework of collaboration between the Ministry of the Public Health, Associations and Non Governmental Organizations and Health Facilities of the private sector .
Mindful of the Decree N° 1433/A/MSP/SG/DCOOP/CPNAT of 17 August 2007 fixing the framework of collaboration between the Ministry of the Public Health, Associations, Non Governmental Organizations and health facilities of the public and private sectors.
Preamble
In accordance with the decision taken at the end of the preparatory meeting of WBW 2007 held on the 11 July 2007, associations/NGOs working in the fields of health development gathered at the conference hall of the Department for Health Promotion at the Ministry of the Public Health in Yaoundé for the creation of a Federation of Health Associations/NGOs involved in the promotion of Maternal and Child Care, Nutrition (Infant and Young Child Feeding):
CHAPTER 1: Of the Creation
Art 1.1: The Denomination
The Federation of Cameroon Health Associations/NGO for the Promotion of Infant and Young Child Feeding and Development of the Young Child is baptized in English as "Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations” abbreviated as “FECABPA"
a) FECABPA is a non-profit and apolitical organization created for an undetermined duration with the seat in Yaoundé. The seat can be transferred to any other city of Cameroon.
b) The representatives of Health Development Associations/NGOs in the Administration Council of the federation have the heavy responsibility to coordinate activities of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA).
CHAPTER 2: Condition of Operation
Art. 2 Objectives
1. Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA) is an organization of individuals or groups of persons who are involved in the protection, the promotion and support of breastfeeding actions in Cameroon within the frame work of the Innocenti Declaration, the Ten Bonds to nurture the future, and Global Strategy adopted by WHO and UNICEF on Infant and Young Child Feeding.
2. Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA) has the following objective:
"a) to creation a plate form for exchanges and negotiation between Associations/NGOs on the one hand and between FECABPA and other partners on the other hand;
"b) to facilitate the coordination, collaboration and the strengthening of activities of Health NGOs and Associations in Cameroon;
"c) to facilitate execution of durable health projects within the framework of Global Strategies for the promotion of Infant Feeding and Rights of the Child.
"d) to initiate, promote and stimulate various activities by using knowledge and experiences of members of the different Health Development NGOs and Associations.
"e) to Organize social mobilisation activities, capacity building trainings, conferences, symposia, seminaries, information, education and communication activities of technical character for the promotion of infant and young child feeding and for durable child development.
"f) To Cooperate with the other networks of Health Development Associations/NGOs in Cameroon and other countries involved in training and exchange of experiences within the framework of Infant and Young Child Feeding, Promotion of the Gender Equity and the Protection of the Rights of the Mother and Child.
Chapter 3 - Of the Partnership
Art. 3 Partners
"a) Privileged partners of FECABPA are the Ministry of the Public Health, Ministry for the Promotion of the Woman and Family, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN Africa), and La Leche League International (LLLI).
"b) FECABPA accepts no financial support, no support in any forms from manufacturers or distributors of breastmilk substitutes or infant foods, no equipments or annexes in the form of complementary foods.
"c) FECABPA invites all its members and participants of the World Breastfeeding Week to respect and to adhere to this ethics.
Chapter 4 - Of the Organisational Chart
Art. 4.1: The Organisational Chart
Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA) has two decision making bodies:
•General Assembly
•Administrative Council
Art. 4.2: Of Functioning
"a) The General Assembly meets twice (2 times) each year in ordinary session (in January and July). Extraordinary sessions can be convened by the Chairperson (National President)
"b) The General Assembly is summoned by the Chairperson who presides over deliberations in the presence of 2/3 of members registered.
"c) The General Assembly meets to validate the reports and to adopt plans of action presented by the Administrative Council,
"d).The General Assembly meets to elect members of the Administrative Council,
"e).The Administrative Council meets every three (3) months. Extraordinary meetings of the administrative council can be convened.
"f) The Administrative Council is charged with the coordination and follow up of activities for the development of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA).
"g) The Administrative Council meets to deliberate on projects and the annual budget ahead of presentation to the general assembly in ordinary session for adoption.
Art. 4.3 Attributions of Members of the Administrative Council:
a)- President : He/she represents FECABPA in all acts of the life of the organization; He/she defines in agreement with members of the Administrative Council the general policy of FECABPA and insures implementation. He/she summons and chairs meetings. He/she instructs on expenses and can delegate powers or part of the attributions to the vice .
b) Vice President: He/she assumes the interim of the presidency in case of the absence of the president.
c) - General Secretary: He/she is the reporter during sessions. He/she prepares meetings and establishes the agenda of the deliberations. He/she keeps the books and archives.
d) - Deputy Secretary General: He/she assists the secretary in the execution of secretariat functions. He keeps the financial records and plays the role of financial secretary.
e)- Treasurer: He/she holds accounting documents of FECABPA. He/she insures collections of dues and executes payments on instruction of the president. He prepares budgets.
f) Commissioners of Accounts (Auditors): They insure the control of entries and expenditure with respect of budget lines of FECABPA, and guarantee good governance and transparency.
g) Communication Officer: He/she insures the promotion of FECABPA and undertakes public relations activities.
h)-Advisors: Guide the members of FECABPA on application of government policies (Ministry of Public Health) on the promotion of Reproduction Health and Nutrition, Maternity Protection, Infant and Young Child Feeding directives in Cameroon.
Art. 4.4: Qualification for Membership
Associations and NGOs that postulate for membership are Health Development Associations/NGO officially declared at a Senior Divisional Office in Cameroon.
For obtaining membership in the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA).
"a) The Association/NGO introduces a formal application or fills a FECABPA Membership application form, pays the registration due and annual contribution.
"b) Membership can be obtained through a letter of co-option by an active member of FECABPA, who is up-to-date with its dues or cntributions.
"c) The co-opted member has to have similar intentions and aspirations of FECABPA and pay all financial contributions,
"d) The association has to pay a registration fee, annual contributions and endorse the Innocenti Declaration and Internal Regulations of FECABPA.
Art. 4.5 Conditions of Eligibility
Any Association/NGO wishing to occupy a position of responsibility within the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA):
"a) has to have a legal recognition from a Prefecture (Senior Divisional Office) in Cameroon with a registration number and date of issue.
"b) has to have opened an operational account in a bank or cooperative in the city or town of its operational seat.
"c) has to have an office; an email address, a telephone number, a fax number and if possible a Postal Mailing Box number.
"d) has to produce a report of activity and a plan of action of the past year prior to registration.
Chapter 5 - Of Decision Making
Art. 5. 1: Election
«Members of the Administrative Council of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations (FECABPA) are elected during a General Assembly Meeting. Each organization has only one vote during deliberations.
5.2 The Process of Decision Making
All decisions are taken by consensus. In case of the lack of consensus, decisions making is by vote. To give equal opportunity to all organisations, decision making is on basis of one organization, one vote.
5.3 VOTING
a) Voting is considered as democratic.
b) There is only a single round voting and the simple majority expressed carries the vote. In case of a tie, the chairperson casts a last vote.
c) Each organization is represented by one person and one vote during decision making.
5.4 Conditions for Loss of Membership
Membership is lost by the non-payment of annual contributions or dues, resignation due to illness or the suspension of membership for serious grievances including corruption or misuse of the organisation’s funds.
5.5 Serious Grievance
Competence of decision making in the case of serious grievance is that of the general assembly and not the Administrative Council. Serious grievance can be among other things, involvement in criminal procedure, the non-respect of the constitution and internal regulations of FECABPA, the diversion of the organisation’s funds, corruption and excessive absences at meetings, etc.
Chapter 6: Of- Functioning
Art. 6.1 Administrative Council
The Administrative Council of FECABPA is composed of President (National Coordinator), Vice president (Vice Coordinator), General Secretary, Deputy Secretary General, Treasurer, Communication Officer, Two (2) Commissioners of Accounts and Two (2) Advisors (Representatives of the Ministry of the Public Health).
6.2: Financial Resources
Resources of the FECABPA come from members’ annual contributions and partnership subventions or seedgrants from the Ministry of the Public Health, Ministry for Women’s Empowerment and international organizations supporting national coordination bodies involved in the piloting of nutrition programmes, infant and young child feeding, maternity protection and the protection of the rights of the mother and the child.
6.Operational Languages
Operational Languages of FECABPA are English and French in accordance with the constitution of the Republic of Cameroon. National languages are used for social mobilisation activities.
Chapter 7: Of- Final Dispositions
Art.7.1: Dissolution
"a) The dissolution of FECABPA can be pronounced only by 2/3 of members during a general assembly meeting.
"b) The dissolution cannot be pronounced if FECABPA is indebted. All debts have to be settled before dissolution.
"c) In case of dissolution, properties of FECABPA are shared equally by active members.
Art. 7.2: Interventions
"a) FECABPA does not intervene in internal business of member-organisations that adhere to the federation. Conflicts between member-organisations are solved out of the federation.
"b) All communication and correspondences to members is by email,
"c) The internal regulations of the FECABPA can be modified only by 2/3 of active members, during a general assembly meeting convened at the end of a mandate.
Done in Yaoundé, 14 September 2007
For the Administrative Council,
James Achanyi-Fontem, National President

Youth & HIV Research In Camerooon

Research On Youths & HIV In Cameroon
By James Achanyi-Fontem,
Cameroon Link, P.O. Box 1460,
Douala, Littoral Region,
Cameroon
Tel: (237)77758840 Fax: (237)33391356
Email:camlink99@gmail.com
Yvonne Bekeny, Development and International Cooperation Researcher on Youths and HIV in Finland announced she would like to do internship at Cameroon Link in June 2008. This period was summer holiday for schools in Cameroon. Her investigation had to lead to improving HIV/AIDS education in schools in Cameroon. On completion, she acknowledged that her work with Cameroon link gave her an opportunity to see the bigger picture of the connection between health and development not only in the secondary school milieu, but also within the communities.
INTRODUCING CAMEROON LINK
Cameroon Link is a development and humanitarian umbrella NGO based in Douala- Cameroon,`that co-ordinates activities of six Women and Gender AIDS Councils, (COGESID) acronym from its French name legalised by the government within the frame work of a Gender, AIDS and Development Promotion project. Cameroon Link had put in place five Local community AIDS control Committees (CLLS), acronym from its French name) within the assistance framework of the Canadian Co-operation and the National AIDS Control Committee. These eleven community based organisations operate in different health areas of Bonassama District and Cameroon Link co-ordinates the execution, supervision and evaluation of the entire health organisations network.
Cameroon Link is also a member of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and is affiliated to the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Africa. Its activities fall within the range of Health and Development, social mobilization, gender promotion, women’s reproductive rights advocacy, reduction of maternal and infant mortality, reduction of malnutrition, initiation of socio-economic development empowerment projects through micro-credit promotion activities and media involvement for information, education and communication (IEC).
All these fall within the frame work of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. For eighteen years, Cameroon Link NGO has been serving the community and during this period, it has made its impact felt. It has been able to mobilize the community to create community health centres in the slum areas where health care is meagre and sometimes the inhabitants of these areas are very poor and cannot even afford money to transport the sick to the district hospitals.
In gender, Cameroon Link has been able to organize and train women on gender sensitive approaches to development and self help initiatives and empowerment through the creation of COGECID Women Gender Councils. The gender councils begin women together to discuss women’s rights and work out strategies for the reduction of the spread of HIV in the community and through the centres counselling activities are undertaken to guide against stigmatization. As a member of IBFAN and WABA, its gender sensitization activities have also lead to greater support for breastfeeding mothers and their families with the promotion and protection of exclusive and effective breastfeeding practices as stipulated by, WHA, WHO and UNICEF regulations.
Yvonne Undergoes Induction
The first week of activities was actually an induction period. She was introduced to the activities of Cameroon Link and given a whole lot of documents to familiarize herself with what she came across as she move from one health area to the other. She was introduced to the relationship between HIV and Breastfeeding. James Achanyi-Fontem, CEO of Cameroon Link had just returned from a WABA policy orientation training and workshop in Malaysia. The information packs brought from WABA are very vital, and there is hope these would change the face of breastfeeding among mothers who are HIV positive.
It through these documents that Yvonne Bekeny learnt about the new scientific findings which reveal that exclusive breastfeeding could be done even by mothers who are HIV positive and there are enough recent statistics to show that babies born to HIV positive mothers would be healthier if breastfed exclusively than those who were not breastfed exclusively. During this period, Yvonne Bekeny joined and arranged campaigns to sensitize mothers to this effect with other Cameroon Link partner associations. She participated in working sessions on the rationale of western countries and multinational food processing companies, that insist on formula feeding as opposed to exclusive breastfeeding which in recent years has been encouraged by the WHO and UNICEF. Not only is exclusive breastfeeding healthy for the baby, it is the most practical feeding method for mothers in Africa. It is not only natural, but get the mothers to save money and prevent their babies from common diseases. Considering that an average African woman cannot afford three square meals a day for the whole family, considering the nutrients that breastmilk can offer to the baby, it is only natural that this should be encouraged worldwide and especially in Africa for nutritive, economic, health and other social reasons.
In Cameroon, statistics show that only 24 % of the population has access to pipe borne water and if mothers are to depend on formula feeding they need good water to go with it, yet a bulk of the population does not have access to portable water. We are therefore advocating that formula feeding be discouraged because it is not sustainability, affordable and regularly available.
For many years, the dilemma of HIV positive mothers breastfeeding has been an issue of debate and controversy, but recent research and studies have shown that breastfeeding is the safest option for mothers in developing countries because it is affordable and practical even when the mother is HIV positive.
We have therefore been educating mothers because what they need is the right information, education and counselling on the important and values of breastmilk. During field exercise, Yvonne Bekeny spoke with health practitioners and their major limitation was lack of proper education on the issues addressed, inadequate human resources and lack of capacity building possibilities, to enable them educate and counsel mothers on a daily basis. Despite these limitations, Cameroon Link is advocating that mothers should be able to decide and make informed choices based on their knowledge and updated resources at its centre. These efforts contribute in the reduction of malnutrition and infant mortality in Cameroon.
Social Mutual Health Insurance
From HIV and Breastfeeding to Social Mutual Health Insurance. Cameroon link together with its partner associations, NGO, FBO and CBO organized a training workshop for the initiation of a new community health insurance scheme, at its pilot phase in some ten communities in Cameroon. Yvonne was associated to the theoretical and practical phases of this initiative. This started with her joining in the training session with community health workers and traditional leaders. She later was involved with other in marketing the insurance scheme within the communities as a first step to constitute shareholders of the initiative for community ownership.
In view of the fact that health care in Cameroon can be very expensive and despite the government efforts to subsidize drugs, each hospital is autonomous and therefore determines the prices at which it offers health care. There is actually no price control mechanism. Therefore the Ministry of Health has decided to empower the local communities to stand up for their rights through this community health insurance scheme. Yvonne Bekeny expressed her delight in the resourcefulness of the training sessions.
Her third week was very much concerned with field work in the different community health centres. She visited three of the community health facilities and had working sessions with medics, health and social workers involved especially in the HIV/AIDS prevention service deliveries. The field surveys facilitate her appraisal of Cameroon Link interventions in the health facilities within the communities. The health centre in Bonendale was apparently deserted at the time of her visit and patients complained that the centre was too far from the residential areas.
Curiously, the Bonendale Health Centre is the biggest community health facility , though it was not actually serving the population as expected. A lot of social marketing is done to reverse the situation and get people attend for at least, the immunisation of their children. The other health centres are rather small outfit for health area target populations. In these centres, Yvonne observed the work spirit, interviewed patients and nurses to understand their challenges before making some recommendations on how they could apply for funding to expand their facilities and improve on the quality of services.
She also made recommendations on how future projects in the health areas could be improved, if there was proper planning that involves all stake holders through the participatory rural appraisal approach, participatory learning and action approach (PRA/PLA) or mechanisms put in place during the planning phase. The field exercise was very practical and exciting for Yvonne, because she actually applied my knowledge on project planning and management in some cases as an ‘evaluator’. This field work also gave her an opportunity to get into the HIV/AIDS registers and get more facts which were significant in making recommendations to the education sector after analyzing data from her research.
INTERNSHIP FIELD ACTIVITIES
The second phase of development cooperation internship of Yvonne Bekeny was packed full of activities out of Cameroon Link office. Yvonne moved from the community into the school environment to collect data for her thesis. The capital city of Yaoundé was the venue to meet the youth target population for her study. It was a very challenging exercise because it was the first time she was collecting data for analysis later. It was less strenuous because securing research permit was not as difficult as her research assistant had anticipated. On the other hand the schools were so big, with large numbers on roll that distributing the questionnaires was a bit difficult and even more so because students could not work individually as she had expected given the large numbers on roll. Despite these hindrances, she was able to administer the number of questionnaires required for her study.
After working with students for on week she returned to the office in Douala to continue administrative work and reviewing some reports and also assembling material that was to be used at an up coming workshop organized by the Cameroon Ministry of Public health on infant and young child feeding counselling in Obala, 100 kms from Yaounde on the road to Bafoussam. The preparations led to Yvonne Bekeny attending the week-long workshop as representative if the Chief Executive Office of Cameroon Link. The workshop was attended by representatives of some fourteen Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith Based Organizations and Community Based Organizations involved in the promotion and protection of breastfeeding and infant and young feeding rights in Cameroon. It was facilitated by professional medical staff from the ministry of public health, social workers and nutrition counselling consultants.
It was during the interactive exchanges at the workshop that they were taught the advantages and the benefits of breastfeeding to the baby and the mother. The discussed the health benefits, the economic benefits to the entire family and the community. It was repeated echoed that if the mothers breastfed exclusively for six months, their babies’ health was guaranteed, therefore the family saved money that would otherwise have been used for artificial feeding. Breastfeeding has no cost and helped reduce spending and was seen as a poverty alleviation ingredient that also safe guarded the family income.
● Yvonne and her colleagues at the workshop were equipped with negotiation skills on how to approach women and convince them to practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after birth and how they could also encourage women to begin introducing complimentary feeding from the age of six months while continuing breastfeeding up to 24 months.. They were informed that it was easy to meet women in their community groups, in the community health facilities and also in the district hospitals to address these issues. With the creation of WABA Men’s initiative, it was decided that the men or fathers and youths be involved in the breastfeeding campaign movement because the mothers would need their support if breastfeeding practices are to be successful.
The issue of breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS was also discussed lengthily. The facilitators told the participants about the advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding when a woman is HIV positive. Statistics were quite revealing and Yvonne was equipped with the facts about breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS. Every woman who is HIV positive should know the facts, be well educated and be able to make an informed choice of feeding for her baby.
Considering the advantages of breastfeeding and the fact that only about 22.5% of mothers in Cameroon breastfeed exclusively during the first six months of birth, this among other strategies are implemented by the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health to improve on infant and young child feeding, so as to mitigate malnutrition and therefore reduce infant mortality. At the end of the workshop, Yvonne and her colleagues drew up a feasible project for a period of six months, and this was used to evaluate the participating organization’s level of understanding the subject. This was yet another opportunity for Yvonne to apply her knowledge of project planning and management. She was able to come up with a short doable project from January to August 2009. Within this project, the two persons who represented Cameroon Link could also train other members of staff attached to the six Women Gender and AIDS Councils (COGESID) mentioned in her first report. As at the moment of writing this report the newly trained infant and young child feeding counsellors had started social mobilisation and sensitization activities within the communities and on the media on the importance of breastfeeding.
Upon their return from the seminar they immediately got into activities and celebration marking the 20th edition of the World AIDS Day. Yvonne and others attended the ceremony launched by the Governor of the Littoral region of Cameroon and they were involved in the organization of educative talks in secondary schools. The activities were focused on the animation of college health clubs. Other Health NGOs and women’s groups were also involved in these activities. During this celebration, the regional coordinator of the National AIDS Control Committee presented the most recent statistics on the situation of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon.
Yvonne seized the opportunity to interview the coordinators of health clubs and students in the littoral region about the activities within their respective schools. This constituted vital information for her thesis since she was researching on HIV/AIDS prevention and education in secondary schools. It was observed that all secondary schools are involved in AIDS Communication. AIDS communication embodies advocacy, behaviour change, social mobilization and social change. This strategy addresses issues that immediately impact on HIV and AIDS, the lack of knowledge on the practice of safer sex, and the driving causes of the epidemic, such as gender relations hindering safer sex practice.
A key factor in effective AIDS communication is the understanding of audiences’ needs and circumstances. It is even made easier by the training of peer educators with whom the youths and other sub populations can identify. It was very amazing that most schools pay attention to the importance of the social context of communication, including religious, economic and cultural factors. These factors determine the nature of AIDS communication in and out of schools and within communities. Consequently, practitioners are increasingly focusing on the creation of enabling AIDS communication environments through work with institutions such as the media and civil society organizations. Cameroon link was an ordinary participant during the event because Yvonne and others had just returned from a training workshop in the Capital City of Yaoundé ahead of World AIDS Day and the memory was still very fresh on Mother to Child HIV Prevention. They did not participate in demonstrations but planned some counselling and educative campaigns with women groups during the week that preceded the World AIDS Day as part of the National AIDS Week declared by the Minister of Public Health. She also conducted interviews with the Littoral Regional Coordinator for AIDS Control Committee. The World AIDS Day activities were very significant to her because she was able to get recent statistics on the situation in Cameroon and other issues concerning prevention, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and the rehabilitation of HIV orphans.. This would have been a bit difficult during ordinary times because getting information in Cameroon is quite complex. Officials are usually very reluctant to give statistics and other vital information on their work..
LOCATING INTERNSHIP RESEARCH SITES
The first phase of the research study was carried out in Douala in the Littoral region, while the second phase in November 2008 was in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon situated in the centre region. The choice was based on the resources available to Yvonne Bekeny. This means that the choice of research site was based strictly for convenience reasons, especially as other schools running the new HIV education programme are situated in the far south and distant northern regions. Yaoundé’s location makes access a lot easier as it is situated at the centre of Cameroon and it is the administrative capital of the nation. Considering the bilingual nature of Cameroon, Yaoundé has many public and private bilingual secondary schools. The choice of Government Bilingual High School Yaoundé and Government Bilingual Practicing High School Yaoundé was based on the similarities in characteristics of both schools. These are very thickly populated government education institution. Most of the students attending these colleges live in the out skirts of Yaounde City. Since one of the secondary schools undertook the new HIV/AIDS education programme and the other did not, this formed the basis of Yvonne Bekeny’s comparison.
APPROACH
To achieve the objectives of the study, a quantitative research approach was employed. This was important because it provided statistical data on the actual number of students involved in the research survey, their basic characteristics, level of education, gender differentiation, and religious inclinations among other variables. Secondary data from the National AIDS Control Committee was also consulted, to know the actual national statistics and to find answers to some of the research questions.
COLLEGE SELECTION
The choice of the colleges for the research survey was based on the following criteria:
1. Geographical location of colleges putting into consideration proximity and access to all.
2. Similarity in characteristics of both collegs. Both are bilingual educational institutions with English and French speaking students undertaking English and French systems of education respectively. They are similar also in terms of enrolment of large number of students each year.
3. Most of the students live at the heart of the city, while a few live in the out-skirts and neighbourhoods of Yaoundé..
4. One school does the new HIV/AIDS education programme and the other does not. This constituted the basis for a comparative analysis.
Due to the researcher’s English speaking background, only the English speaking students in each school where involved for the survey and research study.
SAMPLING
The study utilized a random sampling frame. The two schools formed appropriate basis for comparison as the age group required for the study where easily identified. The main guiding criteria for choice were:
1. The age of the students. The age was considered as a major criterion for sampling and this lead to the next level of sampling.
2. The class of the students strictly followed the age. It was realized that the classes had different age ranges. But then, each level for example like form 3 classes had the same age range between 14-16 years. It is for this reason that random sampling of classes was done for each level. This gave the students equal chances to be drawn from the population.
The two colleges have different populations. GBHS Yaoundé has a total population of 6000 with 3000 English speaking students and 3000 French speaking students. The sample size for this school was 320 (10.6 percent) and it consisted of students with ages between 12-21 years. While GBPHS Yaoundé had a total population of 4800 students with 2300 English speaking students and 2500 French speaking students. The sample size in this school was 322 (12.8 percent). The sample also consisted of students with ages between 12 -21 years. The research expected to have a larger sample, but due to resource constraints on the part of the researcher, only the above sample could be considered. The sample strictly took into account the age, sex and gender of the respondents.
DATA COLLECTION METHOD
The research used two methods to collect the relevant data to measure the students’ knowledge, attitudes and reported behaviour on HIV/AIDS and to see the impact of the new HIV/AIDS education programme on the students. Secondary data was used to review the relevant literature on HIV/AIDS related issues within schools in Cameroon and within the youth population in general. Primary data was used for the most part and the instrument used was a questionnaire.
Some 642 questionnaires were administered to students in English. The questionnaire took into account the target age group for the study. From the college environment, Yvonne Bekeny returned to Cameroon, where she was initiated on information, education and communication strategies, networking and report writing.
Information, Education and Communication
A press conference was organized at the headquarters of Cameroon Link in the third week of December 2008 to highlight advocacy strategies by NGOs using the Sickle Cell Society UK approach. The conference speaker was the Director of Sickle Cell Society UK, Dr. Asaah Nkohkwo, who paired the relationship of sickle cell disorder and other diseases and how they affect African and Asian communities most.
Yvonne Bekeny was involved in the organisation of the conference logistics and report writing. The use of media for advocacy was also an aspect valorised by her participation in a live programme presentation at the Catholic Community Radio Station « Radio Véritas ». The live show was on highlights of the 5th Anniversary celebrations of the radio station. Yvonne and James were invited as guests speakers to the programme audience on what they considered to be the truth and how it is employed within the Cameroon communities and elsewhere. The live show was recorded and rebroadcast twice on the same channel at different peak listening hours.
Networking Linkages
Yvonne Bekeny had the opportunity to learn from Cameroon Link the importance of networking at national and international levels. Cameroon Link leads the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, and is also affiliated to two international health networks.
Cameroon Link is affiliated to the International Baby Food Action Network, (IBFAN) Africa, and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, (WABA). In the latest development, the Executive Director of Cameroon Link was appointed to the position of International Coordinator of WABA’s Men Initiative, which calls for the mainstreaming of gender promotion within infant and young child feeding promotion and the encouragement of youths to get involved in health development issues.
Yvonne Bekeny ended her field research studies at Cameroon Link with designing of a project for the initiation of fundraising in Finland to support the execution of humanitarian activities planned within the next four years. This aspect is found to be vital for the survival of any organisation, especially as all projects aim at durability of impact social change and behaviour change communication, BCC. This is how Yvonne Bekeny was given the opportunity to test all her skills. A project for Sickle Cell Awareness in Cameroon was designed as a team for fundraising lobby by her in Finland.
The strategies of Cameroon Link transferred to Yvonne will serve her at any time when she would have completed her studies in development and international cooperation.